Global InformationBlack Tie Dinner information
 | |
| Founded | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)(3) Non-profit (Charity) |
| Focus | LGBTQ Organizations |
| Location |
|
Area served | North Texas |
| Method | Gala Dinner |
Co-Chair | Dustin Vyers |
Co-Chair | Liliana Villarreal |
| Website | blacktie.org |
Black Tie Dinner is a formal charity dinner held each year in Dallas, Texas to raise money for the North Texas lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. The first dinner was held in 1982. Since its inception, Black Tie Dinner has remained one of the largest LGBTQ fund-raising dinners in the nation, both in attendance and distribution. Today, the dinner is attended by over 2,500 guests per year, and has an annual distribution of over $1 million. Each year, Black Tie Dinner selects up to 20 LGBT focused organizations in the North Texas area to receive proceeds from the dinner, in addition to one standing National beneficiary, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. To date, Black Tie Dinner has raised over $30 million.[1][2]
In 2023, the organization hit a record-breaking total distribution of $1.73 million.
Over the years, Black Tie Dinner has attracted an array of high-profile politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and other public figures, both as program entertainment and as attendees of the dinner. Examples include Cynthia Nixon, Dr. Eric Cervini, Niecy Nash, Matt Bomer, Gus Kenworthy, Ryan O'Connell, Billy Porter, Debra Messing, Connie Britton, Goldie Hawn, Megan Mullally, Geena Davis, Sharon Stone, Martin Sheen and Lily Tomlin.
Black Tie Dinner is often mistaken for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) "gala" dinners which are held in many major cities around the nation. The Black Tie Dinner event was originally organized solely to support the Human Right Campaign Foundation (HRCF) that later became HRC, and was run for that purpose for a number of years. That concept would become the model for the HRC Black Tie Dinners around the country. While the Human Rights Campaign Foundation receives approximately one half of the proceeds from the dinner, Black Tie Dinner, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) organization with its own Board of Directors. Black Tie Dinner also has the distinction of benefiting local beneficiaries.[3]
- ^ "blacktie.org". blacktie.org. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
- ^ Block, Jenny (2011-11-14). "dallasobserver.com". Blogs.dallasobserver.com. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
- ^ "dallasvoice.com". dallasvoice.com. Retrieved 2013-12-04.